September 18th, 2024

Wonderful Vi

The article highlights the lasting impact of the vi text editor, emphasizing its efficient command structure, learning curve, and recommending Neovim for beginners, while celebrating its continued relevance in modern editing.

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The article discusses the enduring legacy of the vi text editor, created in 1976 by Bill Joy, amidst the rapid advancements in technology, particularly AI. Despite its age, vi's fundamental design principles, such as separating insert and command modes, have remained intact in its modern successors like Vim and Neovim. The author highlights the efficiency of vi's command structure, which allows users to manipulate text with minimal keystrokes, likening it to a game where mastering combinations leads to greater productivity. The article also emphasizes the learning curve associated with vi, suggesting that once users grasp its grammar of text manipulation, they can perform complex editing tasks with ease. The author shares personal experiences with Neovim, recommending the LazyVim distribution for beginners and noting its compatibility across various operating systems. Ultimately, the piece celebrates the unique satisfaction derived from using vi and its successors, expressing hope for their continued relevance in the future.

- vi, created in 1976, remains influential in modern text editing.

- The command structure of vi allows for efficient text manipulation.

- Learning vi involves mastering a grammar of actions, scopes, and objects.

- Neovim is recommended for its user-friendly features and compatibility.

- The author expresses a positive personal experience with Neovim, highlighting its productivity benefits.

My (Neo)Vim workflow

An experienced Vim user shares tips on optimizing the (Neo)Vim experience through Personalized Development Environment (PDE), covering search techniques, keybindings, plugins, movement enhancements, text manipulation, quickfix list, spell check, and status line customization.

Modern IDEs are magic. Why still use Vim, Emacs? (2020)

The enduring Vim vs. Emacs debate reflects users' resistance to change and preference for familiar tools. Vim's simplicity and customization attract efficiency-focused users, while some find switching to IDEs challenging. Personal preference determines the choice between traditional editors and modern IDEs.

Entering text in the terminal is complicated

The article delves into text input complexities in terminals, categorizing input modes and offering tips like using Ctrl+A for line navigation. Understanding input systems enhances efficiency in the command line.

Leaving Neovim for Zed

Steve Simkins transitioned from Neovim to Zed, citing performance issues with larger codebases. Zed's out-of-the-box features and speed improved his productivity, while its Vim mode offers familiar keybindings.

Wonderful Vi

The vi text editor, created in 1976, influences modern editors like Vim and Neovim, emphasizing efficient command structures. New users are encouraged to learn basic commands for better productivity.

4 comments

By @fippi - 8 months

I've just recently jumped on the vim train via the Neovim VS Code plugin. For a while now i've considered diving in, but felt completely out of my depth until starting a new job recently where some teammates use it exclusively. I have been getting used to the vim bindings over the last month or so and it's introduced a layer of fun to programming that i've not had in a long time.

Doing simple tasks still takes longer than it would using other editors, but it's made worthwhile by the occasional "holy shit" moment when i learn a new command or write my own macro. The muscle memory will take a while to drill in but I can absolutely see it improving my efficiency after some time. I recommend it for anyone who's considering

By @robinsonrc - 8 months

After many years of learning the absolute minimum amount of Vi I could get away with I decided to give Helix a try some months back, after feeling my VSCode setup was getting a little unwieldy.

I didn't really expect to stick with it, but within a few hours I was productive enough to keep going and was genuinely surprised by how much I liked using it.

But it turned out I was right - I didn't end up sticking with it

...but very much in the opposite way to what I'd imagined. Helix turned out to be the gateway to editing in the terminal. I loved it, but realised I wanted something a little more customizable than Helix currently offers (although it's so good you almost don't need to configure it!) And after a lot of thought I also concluded the sheer ubiquity of Vim bindings was probably going to offer a better investment of my time (for now at least). And so I've been happily using Neovim for some time now. If somebody had told me this is what my development setup would be a year or two ago, after a decade in Xcode, I 100% definitely would not have believed them.

By @gregjor - 8 months

I suppose those of us who have used vi(m) and terminals and command-line tools for years or decades should welcome DHH. Better late than never!

I had the good fortune to attend DHH introducing Rails at OSCON years ago. After he finished his presentation the first questions asked about which editor (TextMate) and font he used.

Similarly, Steve Jobs’ choice of jeans and black turtleneck, and Zuckerberg’s hoodies, got imitated and I think mistaken for the qualities that led to success. I expect DHH will cause a similar rush to Neovim and terminal apps, for the same bad reason: imitating superficial features of a successful person.

Funny to read about vi in the form of Neovim replacing VSCode. vi actually replaced editors much more clunky and tedious.

By @krystofee - 8 months

Im sad, that DHH is promoting vi like editors so much. It distracts new programmers from what is really important and gives them false impression of productivity.